9 College Students Doing Amazing Things

Have you seen The Social Network? Most of us know the story of how Mark Zuckerberg made a series of savvy (and not-so-savvy) business decisions from the “comfort” of his college dorm. Other startups have evolved from college students thinking about creating solutions to problems on their campus, in their personal live, or even the lives of others around the world. SnapChat, Reddit, DropBox, Insomnia Cookies, ModCloth, and tons of other companies were started by college students while they were still in school. Not only are there college entrepreneurs looking to profit off of their good ideas, but there are others that are taking volunteering very seriously and creating nonprofits that are impacting their communities and others around the world. Both are important ventures, and we’ve created a list of students doing amazing things – no matter how you define “amazing.”

“THON is a student-run philanthropy committed to enhancing the lives of children and families impacted by childhood cancer. Our mission is to provide emotional and financial support, spread awareness and ensure funding for critical research – all in pursuit of a cure.”

Each year, students from Penn State put on a 46-hour dance marathon that’s aptly named “THON Weekend.” Participants aren’t allowed to sit or sleep during this annual event that’s been going on since 1977. In that time, the event has raised over $137 million benefiting Four Diamonds at Penn State Hershey Children’s Hospital. Last year alone, they raised $13 million dollars with 96% of it going directly to Four Diamonds.

“Our Smart Sock is designed to alert you if your baby stops breathing. The Owlet empowers you with the same technology hospitals use, pulse oximetry. Our wireless Smart Sock fits snug on your baby’s foot and monitors their heart rate and oxygen levels while they sleep.”

“Books 4 Equality is a free library with an online database for anyone to search, view, and borrow real books from. We solicit donations from all kinds of books in usable condition, then donate those same books to those who borrow them from our website. Catering towards making college more affordable for students, we have a strong presence and continue to grow on college campuses.”

As with many strong teams, Ben Kaufman, Alex Perkins, and Javier Garcia-Bernardo, met playing pickup soccer during their first semester at the University of Vermont. Books 4 Equality was born out of a desire to make college more accessible by increasing access to necessary textbooks. While walking around campus, the founding team noticed a pile of discarded books are realized they could recycle texts if they were donated to the site. Some of these texts are also then donated to students in developing countries around the world. The team continues to grow with other UVM student leaders.

“We’ll ask you a few questions to help you best describe your unique project. Our matching engine will search our network to find you the right experts. Within minutes, you’ll receive bids from experts who generally work from $75 – $200 / hour. Review the list of resumes from experts who have applied, message with your top bidders, and pick the perfect match. Start working right away.”

“Our camps are grounded in the belief that a child’s potential should not be hindered by money. Because of this, any child can attend a Kicking4Hunger camp. Instead of an admission or registration fee, we simply encourage each camper to bring in a canned good donation for each day of camp. The food that we raise is then redirected to assist local food banks.”

“The turbine mounts at the crest of your roof, using the angle of the roof to speed up oncoming wind – generating more power than ever before. It’s beautiful, modular, quiet, and ready to save people money with 100% clean energy. America’s electricity grid is broken, so we made our own. The smart grid aggregates all of our customer’s stored energy and sells it back to electric companies when prices soar, allowing us to pay you every month.”

“There’s no reason to pay $60+ an hour for tutoring services! We charge as low as $18* an hour for one-on-one tutoring with the brightest minds in the area! All tutors are highly qualified high school students. Science has proven that students learn more effectively from their peers that have taken the same classes as them.”